Sparking igniter for explosive-engines.



No. 680,884. Pate nted Au 20, 1901. n. L. PALMER.

SPAHKING IGNITER FUR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed m 24, 1901.

(No Model.)-

NH NH 2 Hill INVENTOR WIMP/i L.Pfl f W/ TNE SSE 8 I A man Homers,

lUNiTnio sTaTns PATENT @rricn.

RALPi-i L. PALMER, OFMIANUS, CONNECTICUT.

SPARKINQ EGNETER FQR EXPLUSWE-ENGENES.

SEEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,884, dated August 20, 1901..

Application filed May 24,1901. Serial l lo. 61,795. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, RALPH L.PALMER,a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Mianus, in the county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented Improvements in Sparking Igniters for Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of gas or other explosive engines which are particularly adapted for use on launches and other boats; and the object of my invention is to provide a simple form of inertia-governor which will act instantly when the propeller begins to race by rising out of the water on the pitching of the boat. This object 1 attain by the construction which I will now describe.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper part of a vertical gas-engine embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section at right angles to the view Fig. 1.

O is the water-jacketed cylinder, in which the piston reciprocates vertically. At a point above the top stroke of the piston, within the cylinder, are the electric sparking devices, consisting of the insulated rod 4, Fig; 2, and a finger 11 on a horizontal oscillating. spindle 10. This spindle 10 extends through to the outside of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. l, and there has keyed to it an arm 2, held up against the under side of a thimble or sleeve 1 by a pull-spring 5, while a push-spring 13, stronger than the pull-spring 5 and bearing against a fixed guide-arm 14-, normally holds the thimble or sleeve 1 down, with the sparking finger 11 out of contact with the sparL- ing rod 1. The rear end of the arm 2 then bears against a fixed back-stop 15, Fig. 1. A Vertically-reciprocating rod 12 passes up through the center of the thimble 1 and spring 13, being actuated by an eccentric below or other suitable means and guided in suitable guides, of which the upper one is shown at 14. This vertisally-reciprocating rod 12 carries a pivoted bell-crank catch-1ever 3, which is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by a coiled spring 30. The horizontal arm 31 of this lever is adapted to receive an adjustable weight 32, which may be fixed in its adjusted position by a set-screw 33.

The

weight 32 may be threaded onto the arm 31 for greater nicety of adjustment.

Under normal working conditions of the engine the rod 12 on rising carries up with it the catch-lever 3 in the position shown, so that the nose of the lever engages the under side of the thimble 1 and pushes the latter up, thus compressing the spring 13. The arm 2 of the spindle 1O follows under the pull of its spring 5 until the finger 11 on the inside of the cylinder comes into contact with the sparking point 4, as shown in Fig. 2. At that moment the horizontal arm 31 of the lever 3 will be so acted upon by the adjustable stop 6 as to pull the nose of the lever 3 from under the thimble 1, which thereupon drops instantly, with the result that the separation of the point 11 from the point 4 produces a spark and ignites the combustible mixture in the cylinder.

The weight 32 on the lever 3 is such that under normal speed of reciprocations 0f the rod 12 the weight will not overcome the power of the spring 30; but if the engine suddenly starts to race the rod will go up with a jerk and the inertia of the weight 32 will overcome the power of the spring 30 and will draw the nose of the lever 3 out of position to strike the thimble 1, and for that stroke and for as many strokes as the engine races there will he therefore no ignition.

I claim as my invention The combination of the fixed and pivoted contacts of the electric igniting device of a gas-engine and a spring-arm on the pivoted contact witha reciprocating rod, a sleeve bearing on said spring-arm and a spring to bear on the sleeve to tend to keep the contacts sepa rated, a spring-actuated catch-lever pivoted to the reciprocating rod, and normally adapted to contact with said sleeve and an adj ustable weight on the said lever,all substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH L. PALMER.

Witnesses:

Lnwis F. HARRISON, HAROLD L. FINLEY. 

